Most law enforcement vehicles used by city, county and state police departments contain a shotgun which is available for the use of the police officer. However, the storage location of the shotgun has presented a continuing problem since the gun should be readily available for the officer's use when needed, but at the same time the gun should not be so readily available as to permit its theft or unauthorized removal from the vehicle. Because of these latter considerations, many law enforcement agencies require that the shotgun be carried in the trunk of the vehicle since this is considered to be the only safe location so as to prevent theft or unauthorized removal of the shotgun. While storing the shotgun in the trunk does eliminate theft and unauthorized removal, nevertheless this storage location is often undesirable inasmuch as it requires substantial time and effort on the part of the officer in order to gain access to the shotgun when use thereof is desired. This obviously presents a serious disadvantage, particularly in those emergency situations where the shotgun is needed immediately. Also, in some situations it may be difficult to gain access to the trunk, and thus the officer is denied the availability of the shotgun.
Further, due to the moisture and temperature variations often encountered in a vehicle trunk, the shotgun is normally stored within a separate carrying case or the like. This thus still further complicates the prompt and efficient utilization of the shotgun.
To overcome the obvious disadvantages associated with the storage of a shotgun within the trunk, attempts have been made to carry the shotgun within the passenger compartment of the vehicle. However, the carrying of the shotgun within the passenger compartment, without securely locking same to the vehicle, is obviously undesirable since the shotgun can be easily stolen or removed from the vehicle. Further, the availability of the gun within the car creates a risk for the officer in those instances when other persons are being transported in the vehicle.
To permit a relatively safe storage of a shotgun within the passenger compartment of a vehicle, to the best of my knowledge there is presently available only one type of gun mount which permits the shotgun to be locked within the passenger compartment. This known mount, which is commonly referred to as the standard vertical collar lock, consists of a bootplate which is positioned on the floor of the passenger compartment so as to engage the butt end of the gun, and a releasable locking collar which is mounted on the dashboard of the vehicle, which locking collar engages the shotgun in the vicinity of the slide. This known mount lockingly maintains the shotgun in a vertical or upright position directly adjacent the dashboard, whereupon the barrel of the gun projects above the dashboard and is readily visible through the windshield of the vehicle. One of the primary objections to this vertical collar lock is the fact that the gun is readily visible at all times to persons located outside the vehicle. This visibility, from a political and psychological standpoint, has been considered undesirable. A further disadvantage of this known vertical collar lock is that it leaves the trigger mechanism totally exposed. While the collar prevents loading of the gun when it is mounted in the collar, nevertheless if the gun is positioned within the collar while still containing a cartridge within the chamber, any accidental release of the trigger mechanism can cause discharge of the gun. The vertical mounting of the shotgun is also undesirable since it presents a potential safety hazard relative to the occupants of the vehicle, particularly if the vehicle should become involved in an accident. This known vertical gun mount also provides no protection for the gun since the barrel and trigger mechanism are totally exposed, whereby the gun must be removed from the collar and cleaned almost daily to prevent the accumulation of dust and dirt within the barrel.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved gun mount for permitting a shotgun or rifle to be safely and securely mounted within the passenger compartment of the vehicle, which gun mount overcomes the numerous abovementioned disadvantages. Particularly, it is an object of the present invention to provide:
1. An improved mount for a shotgun, as aforesaid, which can be positioned in the passenger compartment of a vehicle and which permits the gun to be securely locked to prevent theft or unauthorized removal of same from the vehicle.
2. A gun mount, as aforesaid, which can be positioned in the passenger compartment in a relatively unnoticeable manner to thus minimize visibility of the shotgun from the exterior of the vehicle.
3. A gun mount, as aforesaid, which totally encloses the barrel and trigger mechanism to thus eliminate the possibility of any accidental discharge of the gun while also maintaining the gun clean during periods of storage.
4. A gun mount, as aforesaid, which can be positioned in the vehicle so as to not create any hazard or danger to the vehicle occupants, such as might occur during an accident or a collision.
5. A gun mount, as aforesaid, which is particularly suitable for mounting directly along the front seat of the vehicle under the legs of the vehicle occupants, whereby the gun is readily accessible.
6. A gun mount, as aforesaid, which can be easily mounted on any conventional vehicle in an efficient manner without requiring major modifications of the vehicle or of the interior structure thereof.